Elevated State Of Play
by FloatingAmoeba
Summary: Tony once again tries to point out the flaws in Kate's love life, but this time she hits back. Hard. An injury plus claustrophobia means tension that just won't go away. Tony/Kate Abby/McGee


A/N Dusts off TATE writing utensils and clears throat. I am so sorry. This is a 'ship still held very close to my heart, but until a few weeks ago, I seem to have forgotten how to write them in character. Is there anybody still interested in reading Tony/Kate fics? :[ So I have two currently (cautiously) in progress, a longer one and a shorter one - please let me know if you're in for taking a look!

SPOILERS: possible for 'Bete Noir', 'Reveille' and just for the sake of it, 'Twilight'.

Disclaimer: Many things have changed since the last time I wrote one of these for an NCIS fic, but unfortunately, the possession of Tony and Kate is not one of them.

* * *

"...and I just think you could do so much better, Katie."

Kate jabbed at the elevator button, rolling her eyes as her partner followed her in.

"Gee thanks, DiNozzo, but I only take advice from people that don't continuously make fun of my love life."

As the door slid shut, Tony placed a hand over his heart in mock hurt. "Kate, I'm hurt. You actually think I care who gets into your panties?"

She glared at him.

"Gosh, Tony. I wonder where I got that idea," she replied sarcastically. He grinned, nudging her with his elbow.

"But you should know by now that I always look out for my friends, Kate."

The female agent felt her temper simmering just beneath the surface: one more comment and she was fairly certain she'd blow.

"We're not friends."

The grin slid from his face, the mock hurt now looking convincingly real. "We're not?" he asked quietly, touching her arm.

"No, DiNozzo," Kate snapped in frustration, "we're not."

"We're not friends?"

"No! What in God's name made you think we were friends?"

Tony swallowed, frowning in confusion. "But...you stayed. In isolation...you stayed."

"Because I felt _sorry_ for you! Because nobody should die alone, Tony, not even you!"

Kate rubbed her eyes.

"Friends don't...don't laugh at you when you feel like crap. They don't make fun of your dates, they don't look through your PDA. Friends..."

Her voice wavered, and she tried her very hardest to glare at him without letting him see the tears in her eyes.

"A friend wouldn't have let me get kidnapped by an Israeli terrorist because he was too busy chasing a piece of skirt."

Tony rocked back in shock. His eyes turned cold, and his lips curled up in a sneer, masking the pain her words had caused.

"Maybe he wouldn't have kidnapped you if you'd stabbed him when you had the chance," he said softly.

Kate shoved him backwards. Tony collided with the wall, and the elevator gave a sudden shudder. The lights flickered, before dying completely. The female agent blinked. _I didn't push him that hard, did I?_

The elevator dropped suddenly, and Kate sank to the floor, her eyes widening in fear.

"What's happening?" she asked, hoping he didn't hear the nervous waver in her voice.

"I don't know," he replied as he braced himself against the wall. Above them, the red emergency light switched itself on.

Kate felt her stomach churn as the elevator dropped a few more feet. She opened her eyes just in time to see a flash of silver fall from the ceiling.

"Tony, look out!" she cried.

The metal grating caught the side of his head, sending him sprawling to the floor. Blood trickled down his cheek, and as soon as the mechanical noises stopped, she was across the elevator beside him.

"Tony? Tony!"

He swatted her hand away, groaning at the pain in his head.

"Leave me alone, Kate," he growled. She shook her head.

"Tony, you're bleeding...let me..."

"I said leave me alone!" he snapped.

Kate jerked back as if he had hit her, failing to stifle a gasp. He struggled to his feet, pushing past her to move towards the panel of buttons to pull the emergency alarm.

"Come on, come on..." he muttered.

Getting no answer, he swore loudly, reaching into his pocket for his cell phone.

"There's no signal, Tony," Kate said quietly.

"No talking," he replied sharply. Spinning around suddenly, Tony took a step towards her, his eyes glittering intensely.

"No, you know what? **I'll** do the talking."

"Tony..." Kate protested.

"I looked out for you. When Gibbs was ready to fire your ass for not killing Ari, who do you think talked him round? Sure as hell wasn't McGee!"

He raised a hand to count on his fingers.

"The submarine, Paraguay, Cuba. All the times I've listened to you bitch about the latest ass you sent running for the hills, because you wanted 'commitment'. Then you have the...the nerve, to say we're not friends? If I...you know what?"

Tony shook his head in disgust.

"I don't have to explain why I'm upset. _Especially_ not to you."

Sinking down into the corner, Kate curled her legs into her chest. Tony slammed his fist into the metal walls.

"Dammit," he snarled, running his hands over the inside of the elevator.

"Stop being so aggressive," Kate said. He glared at her.

"Sorry for trying to find a way out," he retorted. She sighed, resting her forehead on her knees.

"Tony, we're trapped inside a metal box. The only way out is the door."

****

Neither of them knew how long they'd sat there in silence, sparing the occasional glance or glare to the person sitting on the other side.

Kate was certain that she had seriously upset him, and if there was one thing she knew about Tony DiNozzo, it was that he knew how to hold a grudge.

Her partner rubbed his forehead, his fingers slipping and sliding through the sticky blood he found.

"Are you OK?" Kate asked cautiously.

"I'm fine," Tony muttered.

"So what do you think happened?" she continued, desperate to eliminate the tension filling up the small space.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say the elevator broke down?"

Kate glanced over at him, seeing him wince as he tenderly prodded the area on his forehead.

"Please, Tony," she pleaded quietly, "let me look at it for you."

"You don't have to do anything for me, Kate," he snapped. Her heart began to ache in her chest.

"Katie," she whispered.

"What?"

"You always call me Katie."

Tony looked away, overwhelmed by pain and hurt and anger.

"I called you Katie because you look beautiful when you get mad at me. I guess that doesn't matter since we're 'not friends'."

They sunk into another silence, broken only by Kate's soft curse when she checked the signal on her cell phone.

"I don't think we're getting out of here tonight," she muttered. Tony rolled his eyes.

"Only just working that out, Kate? We've been here for an hour already."

"Sorry..." she murmured, not quite sure what she was apologizing for.

Twenty seven minutes later, and Kate glanced over to him, sighing heavily.

"You are my friend. There's no-one I'd rather be trapped here with," she said in a soft voice. Tony fought back the urge to reply, knowing that whatever they said would be said only out of the fear that they wouldn't make it out of the box.

It didn't stop it from hurting any less.

* * *

With no air conditioning and two overheated individuals in the small elevator, it didn't take long for the temperature to shoot up. Tony had lost both his shirt and his wife-beater, and Kate was down to her vest.

A bead of sweat trickled down her neck, and the male agent watched it disappear down between her breasts. He shifted uncomfortably to alleviate the sudden tightness in his pants.

He hadn't meant to make her cry, but in the dim emergency lighting, Tony could see the shiny dampness on her cheeks, and it made him want to shoot himself in the foot.

Kate had hugged her knees to her chest, her head resting on her jacket as she leant against the wall. Her eyes were closed, and Tony knew that if they were open, they'd be full of tears. He crawled across to her, the pain in his head almost unbearable.

"Kate..." he whispered, reaching out to touch her forehead. If possible, she squeezed her eyes shut even more.

The elevator shuddered ominously. Kate felt her breathing quicken, her chest tightening as the floor trembled beneath her feet. Her eyes shot open.

"Tony..." she gasped, "can't...breathe!"

He sat down in front of her, the fear in her voice making him forget why he'd been mad at her in the first place. He slid his hands to her cheeks, cupping her face and forcing her eyes to meet his. The tears of anxiety and panic almost broke his heart, and Tony reassuringly smoothed his thumbs over her cheekbones.

"Kate, listen to me," he said quietly, "You're hyperventilating, and I need you to try and relax, OK? It's just a panic attack, I promise. We'll be fine."

Her hands found his forearms, her fingernails digging into his skin.

"Come on, Katie. It's just us," he soothed, pushing her soft hair away from her brow. Kate tightened her grip on his arm, and Tony swore when her breathing quickened.

So he did the only thing he could think of. Kate felt her breath catch in her throat when his lips landed on hers, and she blinked in surprise...

...and then tightened her arms around him, drawing him closer and deepening the kiss until it hurt.

Tony slid himself around, straightening his legs out until Kate gave in and moved closer. Now she was sitting in his lap, her hands wrapped around the back of his neck. Tony groaned as her thighs pressed against his, and a shiver ran down his spine as Kate's fingernails scraped his cheeks.

"Kate..." he murmured, "Cameras."

She froze, her lips barely breaking away from his. Their eyes connected, a moment of doubt passing between them. Kate was the first to look elsewhere, a pink blush creeping into her eyes.

"Cameras," she echoed, standing up to tear one of the wires from the back of the rectangular box sticking out from the wall.

Returning to Tony's side, she hesitated, eventually sitting down beside him.

"We should talk before things get..."

"Heated?" Tony interjected. Kate shot him a look, rolling her eyes.

"Complicated."

Sighing heavily, Tony grabbed one of her legs, pulling it over him until she was again straddling his lap.

"I don't do talking," he said in the moment before their lips met. Kate smiled, and despite everything that had taken place between them, couldn't help the flutter in her chest at his grin. Tony swept his tongue over her lips, begging entrance, and when Kate melted into him, took the opportunity to deepen the kiss.

Her fingers twisted in his hair, her body pressed tight against his front.

"What is this?" she murmured between kisses. Tony slid his hands further up her body, his thumbs brushing over her ribcage.

"Inevitable," he whispered in reply. Kate smiled, releasing a soft sigh as his lips moved down her neck to her collarbone.

"Good answer."

* * *

Not that far away, two people were watching with matching grins on their faces, and each blinked in surprise at the lack of control the two trapped agents seemed to be showing.

"They _soooo_ don't know about the hidden camera."

"Nice. I still don't get how you pulled this off. The elevator, the assistance button...and how'd you manage to jam the cell signal?"

Abby smirked, spinning around on her chair.

"That, my dear McGee, is a secret."

* * *

**-Stares at the screen and wonders whether this is worth posting- :) If you have a moment, please leave me a review - I'd love to hear what you think!**


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